Wheel-guard for vehicles



(No Model.)

H. F. GANON. WHEEL GUARD FOR VEHICLES.

No. 508,379. Patented Nov. '7, 1893.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HENRY FAIRBORN GANON, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

WHEEL-GUARD FOR VEHICLES.

PEGIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 508,379, dated November 7, 1893.

Application filed February 23, 1893.- Serial No. 463,517. (No model.)

and carriage fixtures which are used to pre-' vent the wheels from cutting into the body;

of the vehicle when making sharp turns, and it particularly relates to and is an improvement upon the Letters Patent of the United States, granted August 25, 1891, numbered 458,159. Its object is principally to prevent the wheel guard from rattling, and incidental; to improve the construction of the same, sof

that it can be made more practical and cheap and will operate better; substantially as hereinafter fully described, and as illustrated in the drawings, in which Figure 1, is a side elevation of my invention. Flg. 2, is a longitudinal central section through the same. Fig. 3, is atransverse vertical section, taken on dotted line 3, 3, Fig. 1, and, Fig. 4, is a detail view of that portion of the screw-plate coming between the dotted lines 4, 4, Fig. 1, looking upward from beneath.

In the drawings A represents the screwplate of my invention, which is secured to the under side of the body of a buggy, or other vehicle, adjacent to the longitudinal sides thereof. Depending downward from this plate are lugs a and b, the former of which, by being made of an inverted L-shape and secured to said'plate by means of the screws 0, 0, can be removed when it is desired to repair the device, substantially as hereinafter more fully described. The depending portion of lug a is provided with a blind-bearing B, for the adjacent rounded journal d of the spindle O, and the lug b is'likewise provided with a suitable bearing D for the opposite end of said spindle, as shown. The bearing D has a tapped central opening made into it from the outside for the gage-screw E, the rounded end of which is made to bear against the adjacent end of the journal of the spindle so as to prevent the same from having any lengthwise play, and is locked in such position by means of the lock-nut e, as shown. The plate A is secured in such position that the spindle G will, when the front wheel is turned so as to strike it, be at right angles to the line of travel. This spindle is provided with an integral circumferential flange f near that end which is journaled in lug b, and near that end which is journaled in lug a it is screw-threaded, and has screwed thereon the collar g. This collar can be adjustable longitudinally toward flange f until it strikes against-the shoulder m (which is made by increasing the diameter of the spindle, as shown) and this adjustment is necessary for the purpose of holding securely the rubber tubing G, which surrounds and protects the spindle between said collar and flange It is essential that this rubber tubing should be held very securely on the spindle; for this purpose, therefore, I prefer to slightly taper the spindle between shoulder as, and flange f, thus causing the tube to spread slightly as it is driven longitudinally onto the spindle. In order to protect the end edges of the tube, I have provided the inner surfaces of the flange f and the collar g with annular depressions so as to provide seats h, h. In the collar this depression extends from the central opening thereof to a point corresponding to the circumference of the tube; consequently, when the collar is adjusted tightly, the adjacent edges of the tube are liable to be bent inward. In order to prevent the possibility of these inwardly turned edges being frayed by the screw-threaded portion of the spindle I omit the screw-thread on the short stretch of spindle adjacent to the shoulder 00.

In spite of the great precaution taken, the wheel guard, as hereinbefore described, will rattle, and become more or less of a noisy nuisance, unless means are devised particularly for the purpose of avoiding it. This I accomplish by means of a flat spring H, which is secured to the under side of the screw-plate A, preferably, immediately above the center of length of the spindle, and in such position that its length is about at right angles to the length of said spindle. This spring H extends slightly forward beyond the front edge of the'screw-plate and then describes a return bend and has its free end bearing downward against the tubing with suflicient force to prevent rattling. This spring H may be riveted or screwed to the screw-plate. I prefer, however, to employ a less expensive and more satisfactory method of securing it. This consists in providing the under side of the screwplate with the longitudinally disposed lugs which are separated adistance corresponding to the width of the end of the spring to besecured therein, and are preferably, arranged so that their rear ends are slightly nearer together than their front ends. Their inner co'ntiguous walls are undercut, as shown in Fig. 2, and when the tapered end of the spring H is driven longitudinally in between these lugs, its edges rest in the guide ways thus made, and the farther it is driven the securer it is held. In order to prevent the accidental withdrawal of the spring in alongitudinal direction from between these lugs, I make a recess m in the under side of the screw-plate between said lugs, the end wall of which adjacent to the front edge of the screwplate is vertical, and I provide the end of the spring between said lugs, with a longitudinal tongue 'n, the dimensions of which are made with reference to said recess, and the free end of which points toward the front edge of the screw-plate. This is bent slightly upward, and when the end of the springis driven into its seat, the tongue, when its free end has passed the forward vertical end wall of the recess, snaps up into said recess, and pre vents the withdrawal of said spring. At the same time by pressing upward against the roof of this recess, the tongue causes the spring to rest firmly in its seat.

The tubing used on the spindle is, preferably, made of common water hose cut into suitable lengths. Thus when the tube is worn out, it can be easily replaced. According to the old method of manufacture the rubber facing was cast and its flanges c, d, (as a reference to the aforesaid Letters Patent will disclose) were made integral therewith. Experience has shown that this is costly and less durable than the construction hereinbefore described, which is now substituted therefor.

What I claim as new is 1. The combination in a wheel-guard for vehicles with the screw-plate, having lugs a and b, the former of which is removably s ecured thereto, of a spindle journaled in said lugs, and provided at one end with a circumferential flange, an adjustable collar, and a section tubing, said flange and collar having annular depressions in their adjacent surfaces, and said spindle between said collar and flange being made conical, as set forth.

2. The combination in a wheel-guard for vehicles with the screw-plate having lugs a. and b, the former of which is removably secured thereto, of a spindle journaled in said lugs having a circumferential flange, an adjustable collar, a section of tubing on said spindle surrounding the same between said collarand flange, and a spring H, as described, secured to the under side of said screw-plate and bearing upon said tubing, as set forth.

3. The combination in a wheel-guard for vehicles with the screw-plate having lugs a and b, the former of which is reinovably secured thereto, of a spindle journaled in said lugs, and provided with a circumferential flange, a collar, a section of tubing, a spring H having a tongue n, as described, said screwplate being provided with transverse guide lugs which have their contiguous walls underout, and provided with a recess m between said lugs, as set forth.

4. The combination in a wheel-guard for vehicles with the screw-plate having lugs a and b the former of which is removably secured thereto, and provided at about its center of length on its under side with transverse guide-lugs the inner adjacent walls of which are undercut, of a spindle having itsjournal in the blind bearings of lug a rounded, having a shoulder a:, and a flange f, and being, slightly conical between said shoulders and flange and having a screw-threaded portion between said rounded end and shoulder w, a section of tubing G, gage-screw E, and locknut e, preventing longitudinal play of said spindle, as set forth.

HENRY FAIRBORN GA NON.

Witnesses:

FRANK D. THOMASON, A. A. HALL. 

